September 11, 2009

Former Treasury Department Official Joins Saltman & Stevens

Former U.S. Treasury Department special envoy to China Alan Holmer has joined Saltman & Stevens as special counsel and will be working on international and forestry issues, the firm said Wednesday.

Holmer, 59, a former Bush administration official, is also a former partner at Sidley Austin where he represented a number of forest products' trade associations.

In the 1980s he served as both deputy U.S. trade representative and general counsel to the U.S. trade representative.

“He brings a whole lot of experience in international and forestry matters,” said Alan Saltman, the boutique firm’s senior principal. “We have clients doing both of those things.”

Saltman wouldn’t say which specific clients Holmer will be representing right off the bat, but did say he’ll be put to immediate use on “broad international issues of all kinds.”

“We do have litigation going on in the Court of International Trade that he’s likely to be involved in,” Saltman said. He said Holmer wasn’t available for comment.

Saltman said Holmer's role could be expanded if other matters down the road fit his expertise, including cases that could utilize his knowledge of China or his past as president and CEO of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.

“Someone with that kind of experience, I would anticipate that other matters might come in,” Saltman said. “We’ll just see what comes along.”

Saltman said he has a long-standing friendship with the new hire and has long hoped the two would work together. “It’s been a long time coming,” he said. “As I told Alan, it’s only taken him about 30 years to join us, but we’re very pleased he’s become part of the team.”